Food Truck Builders

MIAMI, FL – Going to a food truck roundup is like visiting Disney World. Bright colors, hearty meals, and long lines amass in an almost euphoric flurry. The trucks seem to simply appear before your eyes, delivering mouth-watering goodness.

Behind the scenes is Tania Ramirez, the diligent owner of Food Cart USA, whose customers she says deem her the mobile food “Mother Teresa.” Her company oveersees trucks through their whole lifespan, starting with building and designing them, continuing with requesting permits and even scheduling roundups.

Originally from San Diego, California, Ramirez was in the food truck business with her ex-husband for 15 years, building gourmet food trucks. After getting divorced, she moved to South Florida with her 2-month-old daughter Crystal.

“We were two females who came to South Florida with nothing and had no idea what to do,” Ramirez said.

When she saw that Miami didn’t have any mobile food vendors on the streets, she decided to take matters into her own hands. “At one point I wanted to bring a chef from Mexico over to make a gourmet truck and sell food myself, but then I thought, Why not build them for other people?”

On top of that, her first food truck rally on SW 65th Ave. and Bird Rd. started with six trucks. Now, she plans roundups all over South Florida that host around 30 trucks at a time – and the spots fill up fast.

Despite the rapidly growing company, Ramirez says the most important thing to her is her relationship with her customers.

“She goes out of her way. She’s available 24 hours a day for them,” Crystal said. “People are not just customers. She establishes friendships with them.”

Ramirez calls it a family business, not just because she works with her entire extended family, but because she treats her customers like family.

As a result of the still growing food truck trend, truck manufacturers in Southern California have seen a huge growth in business, the Los Angeles Times reports. SoCal has long been the place to go for customized cars and motorcycles but as of late, companies from around the country are seeking out customized gourmet trucks as well, from businesses formerly centered around so-called “roach coach” catering trucks. Not only are small businesses in pursuit of food trucks, but also universities, industrial food services and franchise restaurants.

The food truck business boom does spark fears of oversaturation, however. Orders from the Los Angeles area have already slowed and Eater LA recently declared the food truck scene to be “like so totally over.”

Some truck outfitters themselves are therefore being more selective about what business to take on. Josh Hiller of RoadStoves rejected about 95% of his calls at one point, and he feels that many trucks serve “a mediocre food product” and “cannibaliz[e] each other’s business.”

Either way, Americans are expected to spend $630 million on food this year from mobile vendors, up from last year’s total of $608 million.